Strategize

Strategy isn’t a skill. It’s a discipline. It’s the result of being acutely aware of your surroundings, examining past experiences, listening intently, calculating, planning, playing out scenarios, accounting for variables and then making a logical decision based on those filters and analysis.

It takes patience, determination and years of trial and error to master. It often takes a healthy dose of empathy as well. Like anything else, you get better at it with practice.

My quality of life is much greater as a result of deliberately creating a habit of honing my strategizing skills. I have more time to think, create and enjoy life because I don’t have to spend so much time figuring things out, recovering losses or fixing mistakes I could have easily prevented. This practice results in a lot of inner peace and joy.

When I’m teaching my kids, mentoring a street kid, guiding an employee, teaching a budding entrepreneur or even consulting a seasoned philanthropist, the topic of strategy always rises to the top.

Strategy both employees, and fosters wisdom. It’s the discipline of problem solving. The constant practice of strategy alters your perspective over time, opening up a whole new world of possibilities.

As a humanitarian and consultant, I can’t think of any discipline more powerful and effective. If you want to help someone rise out of poverty or oppression, invest the time to mentor them into a strategist.

If you’re making a New Years resolution, consider investing time to become a better strategist. Make it a habit. It’s difficult in the beginning (like anything else worth doing), but the rewards are profound and lifelong.

*If you really want to make a profound humanitarian impact this year, invest your time in teaching strategy to someone in need, rather than just donating money. Money comes and goes. The wisdom of strategy will last a lifetime. And if you teach someone to strategize effectively, they’ll have a much better chance of managing money…strategically, in the future. 

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